So happy that I gave this product another try. They have new packaging inside so English muffins don’t stick together. Make sure to toast before eating. I prefer the onion flavor to original. Tasted great with my morning eggs this morning! Awesome paleo product!

Telomeres Tell of Cancer

Rapid telomere shortening, followed by stabilization 3-4 years before diagnosis, may be a telltale pattern for cancer.

Telomeres are the end caps of chromosomes, protecting the DNA complexes from deterioration during cell division. Telomere shortening is considered a marker of cellular aging, and prematurely shortened telomeres have been linked to increased risk of cancers, heart disease, dementia and death. Lifang Hou, from Northwestern University (Illinois, USA), and colleagues took multiple measurements of telomeres over a 13-year period in 792 persons, 135 of whom were eventually diagnosed with different types of cancer, including prostate, skin, lung, leukemia and others. The team found that initially, telomeres aged much faster (indicated by a more rapid loss of length) in individuals who were developing but not yet diagnosed with cancer: telomeres in persons developing cancer looked as much as 15 years chronologically older than those of people who were not developing the disease. Then the researchers observed that the accelerated aging process stopped three to four years before the cancer diagnosis. The lead investigator comments that: “this pattern of telomere growth may mean it can be a predictive biomarker for cancer.”

If you are interested in having your telomeres tested, I can now offer this service along with a myriad of other functional nutrition testing. Telomere length can be modified through diet, exercise and proper supplementation. You just need to know what to do. I can help with that.

At the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Philadelphia last week, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) along with UPMC Cancer Center announced that broccoli sprout extract helps protects against oral cancer in mice and also proved to be tolerable in a small group of healthy human volunteers. These encouraging results will be examined further in a human clinical trial as the researchers will recruit participants at high risk for head and neck cancer recurrence later this year. People who are survivors of head and neck cancer are still at a very high risk for a second cancer in their mouth or throat. Unfortunately, these second cancers are frequently fatal.

The researchers at Pitt and the UPCI Head and Neck Cancer Program tested sulforaphane, the health-promoting compound in broccoli sprouts, by giving it to mice predisposed to oral cancer. The result was a significant reduction in the incidence of the cancer as well as in the amount of tumors that formed.

For the human portion of the research, ten healthy volunteers were treated with a sulforaphane-rich broccoli sprout extract. The protective changes were detected in the lining of their mouths. Due to these results, another study will be conducted that will consist of forty volunteers who have already been successfully treated and cured from head and neck cancer. They will be given broccoli seed supplementation and the researchers will seek to determine the impact on the participants’ oral lining in regards to potential cancer prevention.

Looking at sulforaphane

Earlier studies have demonstrated that cruciferous vegetables with a high concentration of sulforaphane help reduce the effects of environmental carcinogens. Sulforaphane targets several biological pathways that modulate Phase I enzymes and elevate Phase II enzymes that are present in all cells.

Once inside the cells, sulforaphane sends a signal to individual cellular enzymes that turns on the natural cellular defenses in these cells. Sulforaphane is capable of restoring the gene’s activity towards normal cell progression. Cells are naturally equipped with their own internal defense system. Much of the cell’s ability to defend itself is due to two main factors: sulforaphane’s ability to produce the antioxidants that quench harmful free radicals and detoxification enzymes to break down toxins.